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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

100 years ago in Spokane: Jail inmates pitch with advice on for unexpected delivery

 (Spokesman-Review archives)

The landlord of the Seattle Hotel, on Trent Avenue in Spokane, called police and said, “Better send somebody over here right away, I think there is something wrong.”

There was nothing actually wrong – but there was a rather urgent medical situation.

Mary Zachery, an Indian woman from Tekoa, had just given birth in her room and needed assistance. When detectives arrived they found the mother with a “newly arrived little maiden.” They called for the police surgeon, who asked that the mother and baby be moved to the police headquarters.

When they arrived, the woman’s jail matron “received them with considerable of a flutter.” She was apparently inexperienced in such matters.

One of the jail inmates, Maggie Mills, took over and said, “Here, I know all about this kind of a thing. You just let me attend to this.”

Some of the other female inmates also insisted on giving advice, but Maggie complained to the matron that they were giving all of the wrong advice. The matron had to settle the argument in Maggie’s favor. Whatever Maggie was doing must have been OK, because “the little girl was doing nicely last night.”

The mother, in gratitude to the women in the jail, made them a generous offer. She said they could have the honor of naming the baby.

The inmates were still debating a name at press time.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1917: Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari (Margaretha ZelleGeertruida MacLeod), 41, convicted by a French military court of spying for the Germans, was executed by a firing squad outside Paris. (Maintaining her innocence to the end, Mata Hari refused a blindfold and blew a kiss to her executioners.)